Primary school, park to get upgrades in government program

THE Miners Rest Primary School and Lucas Central Park will share in substantial state government funding to move ahead with upgraded sports and recreation facilities.

Deputy Premier and education minister Ben Carroll dropped in at the Miners Rest Community Park last week to announce the funding boost.

He also announced that a new recreation master plan would be developed for Howe Street in Miners Rest, updating original plans for a community sport facility in the wake of more extensive assessments of the proposed site on the corner of Howe Street and Cummins Road.

That facility was originally announced in 2023.

Carroll was joined for the event by Member for Ripon Martha Haylett, City of Ballarat mayor Cr Tracey Hargreaves and primary school principal Kylie Nissen.

A firm figure has not yet been determined for the cost of the works.

The primary school will receive upgrades to its basketball and netball courts, including a new surface and the installation of lights.

Those improvements will be delivered by the Victorian School Building Authority and will enable community use of the courts outside school hours.

Carroll described the primary school as a pillar of the Miners Rest community.

“This announcement reinforces the community strengthening that does occur at Miners Rest Primary School,” he said.

He said at Lucas, the upgrade would include a competition-level oval, new lighting and changing rooms.

“This is really important infrastructure for the Miners Rest and Lucas communities,” he said.

Carroll said funding would be rolled out as soon as possible.

“We don’t have an opening date yet, but what I can say is the money is there, it is secure, and it’s a really important upgrade to these … communities,” he said.

Carroll’s announcement takes the number of projects in the Ballarat area under the government’s Regional Sports Infrastructure Program to five, including upgrades at Mars Stadium, the Ballarat Regional Athletics Centre and Selkirk Stadium.

Primary school principal Kylie Nissen said confirmation of the upgrades was great news.

“We’re going to have our basketball courts resurfaced with some lighting to support after-school and evening use as well,” she said. “We’ve got a dilapidated basketball court that certainly needs some improvement.”